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Tribes wear red to promote heart health

FORT HALL — Shoshone-Bannock tribal members throughout Fort Hall had some fun wearing red on Friday for "National Wear Red Day" while helping to raise awareness for a very serious health issue: heart disease.
Shoshone-Bannock spokeswoman Randy'L Teton said that with the backing of Tribal Health Services, social media was used to encourage the entire community to have some fun wearing red to help bring awareness to heart disease, an affliction that hits Native Americans (particularly women) hard.
"Heart disease is the number one leading cause of death for American Indians and Alaskan Natives. It's especially deadly for women so this is 'Go Red For Women!' We really want to bring awareness to this issue," Teton said. "We want to recognize those who have died from heart disease and those who are currently fighting it."
The tribe's participation in "National Wear Red Day" is part of First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move! in Indian Country" health initiative. Let's Move! launched in 2010 as a task force to help fight diseases that are prevalent among American Indians and Alaskan Natives.
See the full story in Saturday's Morning News.